1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an appliance for manufacturing a strip with self-adhesive labels or other materials with parts placed underneath, in particular a label strip on which removable, self-adhesive labels are applied to a carrier strip, on which carrier strip other parts, such in particular as security elements, are provided under the actual label. The other parts, when the self-adhesive label is detached from the carrier strip, can be transferred together with the latter onto an object to be provided with the label.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Self-adhesive labels are produced in known manner in such a way that individual labels are punched out from a label material, which is carried by a strip-shaped carrier and releasably adheres to the latter, by punching out to the desired shape and size by a suitable punching tool. After the removal of the label material residue which is not required, i.e. after the so-called waste or surplus removal, the carrier with the self-adhesive labels adhering to it is wound up to form a label spool. The latter is later inserted into a label dispenser by means of which the released labels are transmitted to an object or article which has to be labeled.
In practice, there is also a great desire to place accurately, under such self-adhesive labels and in one operation, other parts which can be transferred to or pasted onto the object to be labeled with the self-adhesive label.
A method known from European reference EP 0 682 333 A1 for the production of a self-adhesive label strip in which a top layer and electromagnetically active or activable security elements are joined together provides for the security elements to be bonded to a security element carrier strip and for the security elements to be separated from the security element carrier strip at a dispenser edge and be laminated together with the top layer. In this publication, no appliance information is provided from which it may be seen how this method is realized or can be realized in practice. Although general information is provided, its practical achievement is neither given nor even indicated.
The object of the present invention is to provide an appliance by means of which various materials, such as metal, plastics, paper, cardboard, composites or the like, which are located on a carrier strip in the form of punched labels or a continuous strip, are transferred in turn to a delaminated strip (and, in fact, either above it or below it) substantially continuously, at high speed, with good precision and a high level of flexibility during a rotational motion.
The appliance according to the invention for producing a label strip or the like with parts placed underneath achieves this object. As compared with the prior art and the method of producing a security label strip described at the beginning, it has the advantage of a practical machine, actually built and functional, by means of which parts, such as security elements, are placed under self-adhesive labels, in particular, during a rotational motion, substantially continuously, with high speed, great precision and at a high level of flexibility. This makes available a finished label strip from which the individual labels, with the other part placed underneath, can be transferred in one operation to the object to be furnished.
In accordance with the invention, this is achieved in principle by an appliance wherein a first supply spool, with associated transport device, is provided from which a first carrier strip with labels is unrolled. A first removal station is provided at which the labels from this first carrier strip are released and, after forward transport over a region which is free from the carrier strip, are deposited on a second carrier strip. A first winding spool, with associated transport device, is provided on which the first carrier strip is wound. A second supply spool, with associated transport device, is provided from which is unrolled a third carrier strip with other parts, which are applied to it and which have to be arranged under the label. A second removal station is provided at which the other parts are released from this third carrier strip and, after forward transport over a region which is free from carrier strip, are deposited on a fourth carrier strip. A second winding spool, with associated transport device, is provided on which the third carrier strip is wound. A controlled intermittent drive for the third carrier strip, with the other parts on it, is provided by means of which this third carrier strip is guided locally, fed forward in a controlled manner and inter-mittently driven in such a way that the other parts can be deposited on the fourth carrier strip at desired position. A third winding spool, with associated transport device, is provided on which the second carrier strip can be wound, the winding speed corresponding approximately to the unwinding speed with which the first carrier strip is unwound from the first supply spool. The fourth carrier strip furnished with the deposited parts can function as the second carrier strip on which the labels released at the first removal station are deposited accurately with respect to location and time at the desired position and, by this means, cover the other parts completely or partially.
Thus, in accordance with an advantageous and very expedient embodiment of the invention, the first carrier strip from which the self-adhesive labels are removed at the first removal station is used as the second carrier strip or the fourth carrier strip on which the other parts and subsequently the labels are deposited, a corresponding, suitable guide and feed system for the first carrier strip being provided. In this embodiment of the appliance according to the invention, the labels are released from the carrier strip and are later deposited back on the same carrier strip, the other part, for example a security element, having been previously applied to this carrier strip and this other part being then accurately covered by the label at the desired position.
Both together, i.e. label and other part placed underneath, are then jointly transferred to the object to be labeled during the final application of the label strip, i.e. during the labeling of objects. This also has the particular advantage in the case of the labeling of glass bottles, during the removal of the label, that the security element has to be removed jointly with it, for example, because the adhesion effect between the security element and the label is greater than that between the label, with the security element, and the glass bottle. This has previously been a particular problem in practice because the security elements were placed on the glass bottles in a separate labeling procedure and the labels covering them were then applied in a second separate labeling procedure using additional equipment. In this arrangement, accurate placing is fundamentally problematical, on the one hand, and, on the other, it has been found in practice that because of the different adherence behavior, it is scarcely possible to remove both parts jointly from the glass bottle.
In accordance with a further particularly expedient embodiment of the invention, the second removal station is arranged substantially at right angles to the first removal station. For both functional and space reasons, this has shown itself to be a very beneficial arrangement.
In accordance with a further particularly expedient embodiment of the invention, web edge controls are provided for the carrier strips for the lateral open-chain and closed-loop control of the strip guidance. Because of these web edge controls, the carrier strips are individually and securely guided and retained on their transport path in their desired direction and, on the other hand, a very expedient appliance is provided by means of which the carrier strips can be aligned side by side. This quite substantially increases the flexibility and the accuracy during the placing and mutual arrangement of labels and the other parts to be placed underneath or above them.
In accordance with a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, for each carrier strip, a respective electric motor, which can be steplessly controlled, particularly by potentiometer, is provided for the traction and the retardation of the respective carrier strip. By means of this embodiment, the machine is made very flexible and adaptable to different task profiles with respect to the working speed, accuracy and possibilities of application. This embodiment is further improved in a particularly expedient manner if a central servomotor with programmable frequency converter is provided for the coordinated driving and retarding procedure of all transport devices. Depending on the use to which the machine is put, various motorsxe2x80x94with the possible provision of different speeds and directions for the various carrier stripsxe2x80x94can be provided. Various master motors can then be employed.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, a detection circuit for faulty labels is provided, preferably for each individual carrier strip furnished with labels or other parts. As an improvement or alternative to this, an inspection appliance is expediently provided for detecting cracks in the carrier strip, preferably for each individual carrier strip furnished with labels or other parts.
In accordance with a further very advantageous embodiment of the invention, expanding shafts are provided to and from which air can be automatically supplied and extracted and on which the supply spools and winding spools are secured. These expanding shafts, which rotationally secure the spools on their hub, can have different diameters to suit the internal hub diameters occurring, for example 40 mm or 3xe2x80x3diameter. The expanding shafts can also be simply exchanged by means of a suitable closing feature which temporarily closes the air duct. This is of decisive advantage for handling in day-to-day practice.
A further advantageous embodiment of the invention, which is essential for the carrier strip for the other parts, which are advanced intermittently in a different cycle, for example in a lower rate cycle, is provided in particular by an adjustable detection circuit provided for the spool end of the carrier strip for the other parts, which detection circuit reports detection of the end of the spool in particular by a flashing light.
In accordance with a particularly advantageous embodiment of the appliance according to the invention, holding and drive rollers, so-called xe2x80x9cstop-and-goxe2x80x9d rollers, are provided for the intermittent forward feed of the third carrier strip with the other parts on it. In a particularly expedient development of this embodiment, the holding and drive rollers, the so-called xe2x80x9cstop-and-goxe2x80x9d rollers, are manufactured from a special rubber. This ensures a gentle manner of operation which protects the material and the carrier strip. By using different hardnesses for the rubber, different hardnesses and thicknesses of the other parts can be taken into account and compensated for in a flexible manner. This also substantially contributes, on the one hand, to gentler and more rapid machine running and therefore to an increased working cycle and also, on the other hand, to increasing the usability of the machine. To further improve this embodiment, an advantageous development of the invention provides for it to be possible for the holding and drive rollers to be exchanged and/or to be automatically and/or pneumatically adjusted.
In accordance with a further particularly advantageous embodiment of the appliance according to the invention, a special quick-action clutch is provided by means of which the holding and drive rollers, the so-called xe2x80x9cstop-and-goxe2x80x9d rollers, are connected to the drive motor and are disconnected from the latter. This embodiment further increases the working speed.
In an advantageous manner, the appliance configured in accordance with the invention can be very flexibly employed. Thus, in accordance with a particularly expedient embodiment, security elements can be placed as the other parts under the labels, it being possible to excite the security elements electromagnetically or acoustically or by radio frequencies, for example. Thus, by means of the present invention, a substantial goods security simplification is achieved which consists, in particular, in the security elements having already been placedxe2x80x94in a simple and low-cost mannerxe2x80x94under the labels to be pasted, it being possible to deliver strips in spool form to the labeling positions. The objects can there be both made secure and labeled in a simple procedure by transferring the combined label to the object. If this has already been undertaken during the manufacture or filling of the goods or objects, i.e. at the source of a sequence of goods, a substantial condition is created for the so-called source security.
As already mentioned, the appliance configured in accordance with the invention can be employed very flexibly in an advantageous manner. Thus, in accordance with a particularly expedient alternative embodiment, sales tabs or instruction tabs or handling loops or similar parts can be placed as the other parts under the labels or stickers in such a way that interesting parts protrude from under the label.
To further increase the flexibility of the appliance configured according to the invention, provision is made according to a further advantageous embodiment for the control system to be provided with a microcontroller and for different placements to be carried out, in particular for another part to be placed under each label or sticker or only under each second, third, seventh or under each second, fifth, ninth label or sticker. This makes possible an advantageous sequence of labels or stickers different from that given.
In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, sensors are provided at various positions on the transport paths of the various carrier strips, by means of which sensors the control system generates corresponding position signals for the cyclically correct placing of the other parts in the correct position on the fourth carrier strip, for the operation at the correct time of the holding and drive rollers, the xe2x80x9cstop-and-goxe2x80x9d rollers, in order to feed the third carrier strip with the other parts forward intermittently and to detect, set and control the various speeds of the individual carrier strips.
As already emphasized several times, the appliance according to the invention is very flexible and can be employed in many ways. In accordance with a further advantageous embodiment, provision is made wherein the other parts to be placed are deposited on the fourth carrier strip in such a way that their adhesive sides come together or are laminated together with the adhesive side of the label or sticker covering them, a detachable label or detachable sticker with an adhesive-free zone being formed by this means. This is a feature which is very much in demand in many applications in the labeling, packing and garment industries.
In accordance with a particularly advantageous and expedient development of this embodiment of the invention, there is provision wherein the second removal station is arranged in the immediate vicinity of the first removal station and is inclined in the transport direction of the labels released from the first carrier web in such a way that the other parts released from the third carrier web by the second removal station come to rest with their adhesive side directly on the adhesive side of the label transported over the top and released immediately before from the first carrier web by the first removal station, the two adhesive surfaces including an acute angle between them and the two subsequently being jointly deposited and pressed onto the second carrier strip, the side of the other part not provided with adhesive coming to rest directly on the second carrier strip or the fourth carrier strip.
The appliance according to the invention can process not only labels but also other materials to produce strip webs with other parts underneath but, in advantageous and expedient embodiments, can also provide, instead of self-adhesive labels or stickers under which other parts are placed, cardboard strips or strips of plastic or other materials or parts already punched into shape and arranged on a carrier strip, under which other parts are placed by means of the appliance according to the invention. It is also possible to process endless webs between which other parts are inserted and laminated. It is then, for example, possible to conceive the production by rotational means of laminated credit cards, chip cards or the like.
As mentioned further above, the use of a web edge control is provided as a particular development.
The object of the present invention with respect to the web edge control is to provide an appliance by means of which the known web edge control can also be applied for diffuse edge contours and for strips whose edge cannot be detected directly or only with particular difficulty because of the particularly small web width. This appliance should be simple in design, functionally reliable and of low cost.
The appliance according to the invention for the lateral open-chain and closed-loop control of the guidance of webs and strips, achieves this object. As compared with the prior art, it has the advantage of the simple and low-cost provision of an appliance by means of which the web edge control does not involve control difficulties despite diffuse edge contours.
In accordance with the invention, this is achieved in principle by a slot guide being provided in which the web is guided, the slot guide is provided with a straight edge which supplies the sensor with a reference edge for web edge detection, the slot guide is arranged in the region of the sensor and the slot guide has easy-running guidance and floats with the laterally controlled web.
Thus an advantageous and very expedient embodiment of the invention is provided wherein one side edge of the web is in contact with a first lateral stop of the slot guide and its opposite side edge is in contact with a second lateral stop at a distance corresponding to the web width, little clearance being provided between the web and the lateral stops. This clearance between the web and the lateral stops can reach 2/10 mm for example. In an advantageous development, the two lateral stops can be adjusted relative to one another to suit the web width. In a particularly expedient embodiment, the slot guide has a base part and a cover part covering it and the web resting on it.
A further very advantageous embodiment of the invention is one wherein the slot guide is supported on rollers and wherein the rollers slide on a guide which is arranged transverse to the transport direction of the web and, viewed in the transport direction, is arranged before the sensor. This ensures reliable and very easy movement or floating of the slot guide with the laterally controlled web. In further expedient embodiments of the invention, the slot guide consists of light-weight material, in particular aluminum.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment, provision is made wherein the slot guide has a web guide length in the transport direction of the web which at least corresponds to the length between two protruding regions with larger web width. This ensures reliable guidance of webs with diffuse edges.
In a particularly very advantageous development of the invention, provision is made wherein at least one further slot guide is provided near the first slot guide and is firmly connected to it so that at least one further web is transported near the first and can be laterally controlled at a constant distance from the first and from the common reference edge.
In a very advantageous manner, the arrangement according to the invention is used for the web edge control of webs which have diffuse or undulating edges or edges provided with protrusions and recesses. An alternative use, which avoids other problems of edge detection, is one wherein the slot guide according to the invention is used for the web edge control of one or a plurality of particularly narrow strips, in particular metal strips such as security strips for bank notes.
The invention is explained in more detail using embodiment examples of the appliance according to the invention shown in the drawings and using various applications in the following description. In detail
FIG. 1 shows, in diagrammatical three-dimensional representation, a first embodiment according to the invention for producing a label strip;
FIG. 2 shows, diagrammatically, a representation of the first and second removal stations and their relationship in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 3 shows, diagrammatically, a first application example for a label strip in which another part is placed under each second label;
FIG. 4 shows, diagrammatically, a second application example for a label strip in which another part is placed under each label;
FIG. 5 shows, diagrammatically, a third application example for a label strip in which another part is placed under each label, a part of which other part emerges laterally from under the label, for example a handling loop;
FIG. 6 shows, diagrammatically, a fourth application example of a label strip in which, under each label, is placed another part in the form of a continuous strip, an endless tape, for example a magnetic tape for use in special cash points and multi-story car parks;
FIG. 7 shows, diagrammatically, a representation of a second essential embodiment of the appliance according to the invention with the first and second removal stations and their particular relationship for the production of labels, with adhesive-free zones, in which the adhesive side of the other parts come to rest directly on the adhesive side of the label;
FIG. 8 shows, diagrammatically in enlarged representation, label and other part for the production of the adhesive-free zone;
FIG. 9 shows, diagrammatically, a third essential embodiment of the appliance according to the invention with the first removal station and the removal and supply system of the first and second carrier strip, this embodiment being used for the transfer of the labels from the old to a new carrier strip or offset to the old carrier strip;
FIG. 10 shows, diagrammatically, an application example of a label strip in which each label, by means of the embodiment or mode of operation of the appliance according to the invention shown diagrammatically in FIG. 9, is released from the first carrier strip and is deposited again on the same carrier strip offset in the lateral direction and also in the longitudinal direction;
FIG. 11 shows, diagrammatically, a second application example for a label strip in which each originally abutting label (upper part of the figure) is released, by means of the embodiment or the mode of operation of the appliance according to the invention shown diagrammatically in FIG. 9, from the first carrier strip and is deposited again on the same carrier strip offset in the longitudinal direction (lower part of the figure) and, by this means, the distance between the labels is increased;
FIG. 12 shows, in perspective representation, a web edge control system which is provided with the slot guide according to the invention;
FIG. 13 shows, diagrammatically, the front view of the slot guide according to the invention;
FIG. 14 shows, diagrammatically and in plan view, the slot guide shown in FIG. 13.